Thursday, December 01, 2011

"I'd like to be viewed as something alive and relevant, not some fossil." ~ Brian May

I used to think the worse part of aging was decline of physical and mental capabilities. Seeing a significant loss in capability versus what I was able to do in my younger days was a depressing thought. However, this year, I realized there was a worse part of aging than the decline of capabilities. It's the loss of relevance.

The idea of being irrelevant became very clear during the Thanksgiving holiday when I watched the movie Secondhand Lions in which the main character, Hub McCann, expresses his fear about "becoming useless," despite having a glorious career in the French Foreign Legion. His fear resonated with me.

Yes, I am no longer relevant to younger people due to my age (53) and being early retiree (in 2007). As my nephew has told me, his world is much harder than the world in which I lived as a child. Therefore, my past experiences are not meaningful and my perspective is outdated. For example, my daughter doesn't seem to think I know enough to help with her advance first grade homework :-)

Perhaps, that's why I enjoy tutoring college prep exams. It may also be why I took on a temporary full time job as the Executive Director of a non-profit. In these roles, I am still relevant and making a positive impact. And, for brief moments, I feel much younger than my actual age :-)

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial or aging advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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About Me

My wealth goal is to create a guaranteed yearly income stream equal to my highest salary for my retirement years. While I have developed a strategy to do this,
I am interested how others are thinking of achieving financial security for retirement.
This blog is a summary of facts, ideas, discussions, and action plans to achieve that goal.

Disclaimer

This is a personal blog about my thoughts, experiences and ideas on building wealth. The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only. No content should be construed as financial advice. Commenters, advertisers and linked sites are entirely responsible for their own content and do not represent the views of My Wealth Builder. All financial decisions involve risks and results are not guaranteed. Always do your own research, due diligence and consult your own professional advisor before making any decision. My Wealth Builder assumes no liability with regard to financial results based on use of information from this blog.

If this blog contains any errors, misrepresentations, or omissions, please contact me or leave a comment to have the content corrected.

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Disclaimer:
This is a personal blog about my thoughts, experiences and ideas on building wealth. The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only. No content should be construed as financial advice. Commenters, advertisers and linked sites are entirely responsible for their own content and do not represent the views of My Wealth Builder. All financial decisions involve risks and results are not guaranteed. Always do your own research, due diligence and consult your own professional advisor before making any decision. My Wealth Builder assumes no liability with regard to financial results
based on use of information from this blog.

If this blog contains any errors, misrepresentations, or omissions, please contact me or leave a comment to have the content corrected.